If You’re Reading This, You’ll Never Check Into This Net

By K5KVN, on the scene

ROUNDHOUSE, Fla. — Ham radio nets around the world will become more pleasant if one club has their way. The “Bickering Net,” the brainchild of the Get Off My Lawn Club, will start next week on 80 meters.

We owe Bernie Ledington many thanks.

Club president Bernie Ledington, an 82-year-old self-described “crotchety old man,” says the club is looking for ham radio’s most cranky operators to join their net. “You know that guy that ties up the net by arguing just for the sake of arguing? The one that holds things up with tirades against the newest digital mode? Send him our way,” says Ledington.

Control operators of other nets are encouraged to ask offending OMs to QSY to the new “Bickering Net.”

The club sees their new activity as a public service; a way to give back to their hobby. They believe that by putting all of the grumpy old men onto one frequency at the same time, they can clean up other nets for everyone else. “Imagine experiencing a smoothly-run, pleasant net with only nice people checking in,” he says. “It’s unheard of right now. But after we get all the negative OMs over to our net, it’ll be the norm.”

Net control stations are being recruited this week. Qualifications include being short-tempered, cranky, against anything new and progressive, and consistently being in a bad mood. Prefered candidates are those who often don’t realize a net has already started, then proceed to tune up on the net frequency.

“Oh, and one other thing,” Ledington adds. “You’re welcome.”

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